Ornamental ? Cherries

[rana]

I have an ornamental cherry tree that has started to bear decent quantities of fruit. The cherries are pretty hard and extremely sour to eat - even the birds leave them alone - however a friend tells me they can be harvested and used like morello cherries once soaked in sugar syrup. I am sceptical but has anyone tried this ?

[solway cropper]

As far as I know all cherries are edible but some just don't taste nice. When we were kids we used to eat the fruit of ornamental cherry trees. Don't ask me why, it's just the sort of daft thing kids do.

[Glutton4...]

Olives are inedible straight from the three - my Sister, who lives in Spain, soaks them in salt water (I think) for several months, in jars, and says they are then edible, and delicious. So, I would assume that soaking sour cherries in sugar syrup would have the desired result. Alternatively, use them instead of Sloes in Gin or Voddy!